Clamping device

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a clamping device configured to clamp a substrate. The clamping device includes a clamping plate and a flattening mechanism. The flattening mechanism includes at least one adjusting member configured to operably act on the clamping plate to apply a force to the clamping plate to flatten the clamping plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2020/118996, filed on Sep. 29, 2020, entitled “CLAMPINGDEVICE,” which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No.201922386790.2, filed on Dec. 26, 2019, entitled “CLAMPING DEVICE.” Thecontent of both applications are hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of display panelmanufacturing.

BACKGROUND

In the process of manufacturing a display panel, there is a need tovapor deposit a luminescent material onto the substrate through a vapordeposition process. In the vapor deposition process, the mask plate isfirst needed to be in alignment with the substrate, and a clampingdevice is used to clamp the substrate in an alignment system.

SUMMARY

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a clampingdevice.

The clamping device is configured to clamp a substrate. The clampingdevice includes a clamping plate and a flattening mechanism.

The flattening mechanism includes at least one adjusting member disposedon the clamping plate and is configured to exert a force to the clampingplate to flatten the clamping plate.

In the clamping device provided by the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, since the adjusting member of the flatteningmechanism operably acts on the clamping plate and applies a force to theclamping plate to flatten the clamping plate, the deformation of theclamping plate is reduced and the flatness of the clamping plate isensured, so that the substrate can be everywhere closely attached to theclamping plate, ensuring the uniformity of the vapor deposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a clamping device.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the clamping deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the clamping deviceaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the clamping deviceshown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure, thepresent disclosure will be described more completely hereinafter withreference to the related accompanying drawings. Exemplary embodiments ofthe present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings. However,the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and isnot limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that the understanding of the disclosure ofthe present disclosure will be more thorough and complete.

The clamping device includes a clamping plate and a plurality ofclamping claws. The upper surface of the substrate is attached to thelower surface of the clamping plate in a thickness direction, and theplurality of clamping claws abut peripheral regions of the lower surfaceof the substrate, such that the substrate is fixed between the clampingplate and the clamping claws. After that, the mask plate and thesubstrate are aligned with each other, and then the vapor deposition canbe performed on the substrate.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic structural view of a clamping device.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the vapor deposition process, there is a need tofirst align a mask plate 300 with a substrate 200. In an alignmentsystem, the substrate 200 is clamped by the clamping device 100, thenthe mask plate 300 is aligned with the substrate 200, and finally aluminescent material is vapor deposited on the substrate 200.

The clamping device 100 includes a clamping plate 20 and a plurality ofclamping claws 30. An upper surface of the substrate 200 is attached toa lower surface of the clamping plate 20 in a thickness direction. Theplurality of clamping claws 30 abuts peripheral regions of the lowersurface of the substrate 200, such that the substrate 200 is fixedbetween the clamping plate 20 and the clamping claws 30. However, inperforming the above-described method, the problem of uneven vapordeposition of the luminescent material on the substrate 200 oftenoccurs.

When the substrate 200 is fixed between the clamping plate 20 and theclamping claws 30, the clamping plate 20 of the clamping device 100 maybe deformed, which deteriorates the flatness of the clamping plate 20.Since the upper surface of the substrate 200 is attached to the lowersurface of the clamping plate 20, the deformed clamping plate 20 mayrender the substrate 200 and the clamping plate 20 not closely attachedto each other at a local position, which causes that the mask plate 300and the substrate 200 are not closely attached to each other at thelocal position. As a result, the problem of uneven vapor deposition ofthe luminescent material occurs.

The clamping plate 20 of the clamping device 100 is hoisted at least bya suspension mechanism 10. As such, on the one hand, bearing forces ofthe various positions of the clamping plate 20 connected to thesuspension mechanism 10 may be uneven, generating internal stress in theclamping plate 20 and thereby deforming the clamping plate 20. On theother hand, since the clamping plate 20 is suspended by the suspensionmechanism 10, the clamping plate 20 is prone to dent and deform underits own weight.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an embodiment of thepresent disclosure provides a clamping device 100, which can improve theflatness of the clamping plate 20 when the clamping plate 20 issuspended, so that the substrate 200 and the clamping plate 20 are moreclosely attached to each other to ensure the uniformity of vapordeposition.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the clamping device100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 shows aperspective view of a portion of the clamping device 100 according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 shows across-sectional view of the portion of the clamping device 100 shown inFIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 1, the clamping device 100in an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the clamping plate20 and the clamping claws 30. The clamping claws 30 cooperate with theclamping plate 20 to clamp the substrate 200, so as to facilitate thesubsequent vapor deposition of the luminescent material on the substrate200.

Specifically, the clamping device 100 can include a plurality ofclamping claws 30. When the substrate 200 is clamped, the upper surfaceof the substrate 200 abuts the lower surface of the clamping plate 20,and one end of each clamping claw 30 abut the lower surface of thesubstrate 200, thereby the substrate 200 is clamped between the clampingplate 20 and the clamping claws 30.

The clamping device 100 further includes a flattening mechanismincluding at least one adjusting member 40. The adjusting member 40 isconfigured to exert a force to the clamping plate 20 to flatten theclamping plate 20.

In the clamping device 100 provided by the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, since the adjusting member 40 operably applies a force tothe clamping plate 20 to flatten the clamping plate 20, the deformationof the clamping plate 20 is reduced and the flatness of the clampingplate 20 is improved, so that the substrate 200 and the clamping plate20 can be more closely attached to each other, thereby ensuring theuniformity of the vapor deposition.

In an embodiment, the clamping device 100 further includes thesuspension mechanism 10, and the clamping plate 20 is suspended on oneside of the suspension mechanism 10.

The suspension mechanism 10 includes a suspension frame 11 and aplurality of vertical suspension posts 12. Every two suspension posts 12adjacent to each other are spaced apart from each other. The top end ofeach suspension post 12 is fixedly connected to the suspension frame 11,and the bottom end of each suspension post 12 is connected to the uppersurface of the clamping plate 20. In an embodiment, the suspension post12 is fixedly connected to the edge of the upper surface of the clampingplate 20.

In an embodiment, the adjusting member 40 is disposed on one side of theclamping plate 20 in a thickness direction of the clamping plate 20.Specifically, when the clamping plate 20 is deformed to form an upwardconvex portion during assemblage, the adjusting member 40 is provided onthe upper side of the clamping plate 20, and the adjusting member 40presses the upward convex portion downwards to flatten the clampingplate 20. When the clamping plate 20 is deformed during assemblage orunder the action of its own weight to form a downward concave portion,the adjusting member 40 is provided on the lower side of the clampingplate 20, and the adjusting member 40 presses the downward concaveportion upwards to flatten the clamping plate 20. It should beunderstood that when the adjusting member 40 is located on the lowerside of the clamping plate 20, and that is, when the adjusting member 40is located on one side of the clamping plate 20 away from the suspensionpost 12, the adjusting member 40 is located at the peripheral positionof the clamping plate 20 to avoid affecting the arrangement of thesubstrate 200.

In some other embodiments, the adjusting member 40 can also be providedon the lower side of the clamping plate 20 when the clamping plate 20 isdeformed to form the upward convex portion. The adjusting member 40pulls the upward convex portion downwards to flatten the clamping plate20. When the clamping plate 20 is deformed to form the downward concaveportion, the adjusting member 40 can also be provided on the upper sideof the clamping plate 20, and the adjusting member 40 pulls the downwardconcave portion upwards to flatten the clamping plate 20. In yet someother embodiments, the flattening mechanism includes a plurality ofadjusting members 40 (i.e., at least two adjusting members 40). Theplurality of adjusting members 40 can be respectively provided on theupper side and the lower side of the clamping plate 20. When theclamping plate 20 is deformed, the flatness of the clamping plate 20 isadjusted by the adjusting members 40 on at least one side. In someembodiments, the plurality of adjusting members 40 are disposed on thesame side of the clamping plate 20, and the plurality of adjustingmembers 40 are axially symmetrically arranged about a central axis of asurface of the clamping plate 20 on which the plurality of adjustingmembers 40 are disposed.

For the convenience of description, the technical solution of thepresent disclosure will be described in detail below with an embodimentin which the clamping plate 20 has an upward convex deformation and theadjusting members 40 are disposed on the upper side of the clampingplate 20. This embodiment is merely used as an example for illustrationand does not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, the number of the adjusting members 40 is at leasttwo to ensure uniformity of adjustment. The at least two adjustingmembers 40 are arranged symmetrically about the second central axis ofthe plane in which the clamping plate 20 is located to further ensurethe uniformity of the adjustment. The second central axis is the centralaxis of the plane of the clamping plate 20 along a second direction(referring to FIG. 3, the second direction is the X-axis direction inFIG. 3). According to some embodiments, the at least two adjustingmembers 40 are disposed on both sides of the clamping plate 20 in athickness direction of the clamping plate 20.

In the present embodiment, the clamping device 100 further includes amagnetic attraction mechanism 50 (as shown in FIG. 1). The magneticattraction mechanism 50 is fixedly connected to the suspension frame 11,and the magnetic attraction mechanism 50 is attached to the surface ofthe clamping plate 20 facing away from the substrate 200 to further fixthe substrate 200 by the magnetic attraction force. In this embodiment,in order to facilitate mounting the magnetic attraction mechanism 50,the adjusting members 40 are provided at the edges of the clamping plate20 to reserve the position for the magnetic attraction mechanism 50.

In an embodiment, each adjusting member 40 includes a connecting portion41 and at least one adjusting portion 42 connected to the connectingportion 41. The connecting portion 41 is fixedly connected to thesuspension mechanism 10 and/or the clamping plate 20. The adjustingportion 42 is configured to exert a force to the clamping plate 20.Specifically, the adjusting portion 42 can pass through the connectingportion 41 and abut against the clamping plate 20, and the adjustingportion 42 is capable of moving in the penetration direction withrespect to the connecting portion 41 to apply the force to the clampingplate 20. That is, the connecting portion 41 is engaged with theadjusting portion 42, and when the connecting portion 41 is stationary,the adjusting portion 42 moves in the penetration direction with respectto the connecting portion 41 to apply the force to the clamping plate20.

Referring still to FIG. 2, specifically, since the deformation of theclamping plate 20 generally occurs in the central region of the clampingplate 20, the adjusting member 40 is provided in the peripheral regionof the clamping plate 20, and the adjusting portion 42 of the adjustingmember 40 is connected to the middle position of the peripheral regionof the clamping plate 20 in order to ensure the flattening effect.

In an embodiment, the adjusting member 40 is integrally movable relativeto the suspension mechanism 10, thereby generating the aforementionedforce. For example, the adjusting member 40 can be assembled on thesuspension post 12, and the adjusting member 40 is capable of sliding upand down with respect to the suspension post 12. When the adjustingmember 40 slides relative to the suspension post 12, a force can begenerated to flatten the clamping plate 20. When the adjusting member 40is moved relative to the suspension post 12 to a position at which theclamping plate 20 is flattened, an additional fixing mechanism is set tofix the adjusting member 40 to the suspension post 12.

Referring still to FIG. 2, in a specific embodiment, the connectingportion 41 can be partially fixedly connected to the clamping plate 20.In some other embodiments, the connecting portion 41 can be partiallyfixedly connected to the suspension post 12 or can be partially fixedlyconnected to both the clamping plate 20 and the suspension post 12,which is not limited herein. Here, the partially fixedly connectedconnecting portion 41 refers to the connecting portion 41 which is notcompletely fixed in all positions with respect to the clamping plate 20or the suspension post 12, and the connecting portion 41 has a localregion movable with respect to the clamping plate 20 or the suspensionpost 12.

In an embodiment, the adjusting portion 42 is configured to abut againstthe clamping plate 20, and the position of the adjusting portion 42relative to the connecting portion 41 is adjustable in the penetrationdirection. Since the connecting portion 41 is partially fixedlyconnected to the suspension post 12 and/or the clamping plate 20, theadjusting portion 42 applies a force to the clamping plate 20 to flattenthe clamping plate 20 when the adjusting portion 42 is properly adjustedwith respect to the connecting portion 41 in the penetration direction.

Specifically, each adjusting member 40 includes at least two adjustingportions 42 spaced apart from each other arranged in an extendingdirection of the connecting portion 41 (referring to FIG. 3, theextending direction is the X-axis direction in FIG. 3). The flatteningeffect of the adjusting member 40 is further ensured by cooperation ofthe at least two adjusting portions 42.

In another embodiment, each adjusting member 40 can include at leastthree adjusting portions 42. The at least three adjusting portions 42form an adjusting plane to further ensure the flattening effect of theadjusting member 40.

More specifically, the adjusting portion 42 can be an adjusting screw toachieve a threaded connection between the adjusting portion 42 and theconnecting portion 41. The adjusting portion 42 can be turned to adjustthe flatness of the clamping plate 20.

Further, all the adjusting portions 42 included in each adjusting member40 are symmetrically disposed about the first central axis of the planein which the clamping plate 20 is located. The first central axis is thecentral axis of the plane of the clamping plate 20 along a firstdirection (referring to FIG. 3, the first direction is the Y-axisdirection in FIG. 3), and the first direction intersects the seconddirection. In an embodiment, the first direction is substantiallyperpendicular to the second direction. When the number of the adjustingportions 42 included in the adjusting member 40 is an even number, everytwo corresponding adjusting portions 42 are symmetrically disposed aboutthe first central axis. When the adjusting member 40 includes oneadjusting portion 42, the adjusting portion 42 is symmetric about thefirst central axis. When the adjusting member 40 includes a plurality ofadjusting portions 42, and the number of the plurality of adjustingportions 42 is an odd number, the adjusting portion 42 at the middleposition is symmetric about the first central axis, and every twocorresponding adjusting portions 42 equally distanced from the adjustingportion 42 at the middle position are symmetrically disposed about thefirst central axis.

It can be understood that the adjusting portion 42 can be moved withrespect to the connecting portion 41 without adopting the threaded fit.For example, a mounting hole can be formed in the connecting portion 41.A plurality of grooves spaced apart from each other is sequentiallyformed in the inner wall of the mounting hole and arranged in anextending direction of the mounting hole. The adjusting portion 42includes an adjusting spring and an adjusting plate. The adjustingspring abuts between the adjusting plate and the clamping plate 20. Theadjusting plate is arranged in different grooves and compresses theadjusting spring to different degrees, thereby adjusting the flatness ofthe clamping plate 20.

In an embodiment, the adjusting portion 42 is connected to theconnecting portion 41 through screw threads, and the adjusting portion42 is fixed to the clamping plate 20 in the axial direction (i.e., thethickness direction of the clamping plate 20) and circumferentiallyrotatably connected to the clamping plate 20 or the connecting portion41. The connecting portion 41 is partially fixedly connected to thesuspension post 12 and/or the clamping plate 20. The clamping plate 20does not restrict the rotation of the adjusting portion 42 when theadjusting portion 42 is rotated with respect to the connecting portion41 along the screw threads, so that the adjusting portion 42 cangenerate a downward pressing force to the clamping plate 20.

Specifically, the adjusting portion 42 is axially fixed to andcircumferentially rotatable with respect to the clamping plate 20 via abearing. The outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to theclamping plate 20, and the inner ring of the bearing is fixedlyconnected to the adjusting portion 42. It can be understood that inother embodiments, the adjusting portion 42 can be axially fixed to andcircumferentially rotatable with respect to the clamping plate 20 inother ways, which are not enumerated herein.

In an embodiment, the adjusting portion 42 is connected to the clampingplate 20 through screw threads, and the adjusting portion 42 is axiallyfixed to the connecting portion 41 and circumferentially rotatablyconnected to the connecting portion 41. The connecting portion 41 ispartially fixedly connected to the suspension post 12 and/or theclamping plate 20. The clamping plate 20 does not restrict the rotationof the adjusting portion 42 when the adjusting portion 42 is rotatedwith respect to the connecting portion 41 along the screw threads, sothat the adjusting portion 42 can generate the downward pressing forceto the clamping plate 20.

Referring still to FIG. 2, the connecting portion 41 can be partiallyfixedly connected to the clamping plate 20, and disposed across theentire clamping plate 20 in the first direction and/or the seconddirection. In this way, it is ensured that the entire clamping plate 20can be flattened at the same time when the adjusting portion 42 appliesa force to the clamping plate 20 to flatten the clamping plate 20. Itcan be understood that, when the connecting portion 41 is disposedacross the entire clamping plate 20 in the first direction and/or thesecond direction, the adjusting member 40 is disposed on the side of theclamping plate 20 away from the substrate 200 in order to avoidaffecting the arrangement of the substrate 200. It can be understoodthat, in other embodiments, the connecting portion 41 can also bedisposed across only a portion of the clamping plate 20.

Referring still to FIG. 2, in an embodiment, only both ends of theconnecting portion 41 are fixedly connected to the clamping plate 20and/or the suspension post 12. Specifically, the connecting portion 41includes a connecting section 411 and two fixing sections 412respectively connected to both ends of the connecting section 411. Thetwo fixing sections 412 are fixedly connected to both ends of theclamping plate 20 in the horizontal direction. The adjusting portion 42is disposed on the connecting section 411 and penetrates the connectingsection 411. More specifically, the two fixing sections 412 extend inthe thickness direction of the clamping plate 20 and are respectivelyattached to the two opposite side surfaces of the clamping plate 20. Thefixing sections 412 are fixedly connected to the clamping plate 20 via aplurality of fixing screws 43.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in another embodiment, the connectingportion 41 is partially fixedly connected to the suspension posts 12.The connecting portion 41 is disposed across a portion of the clampingplate 20 in the first direction and/or the second direction, therebysaving material. Specifically, the connecting portion 41 includes aconnecting section 411 and two fixing sections 412 connected to bothends of the connecting section 411, respectively. Only the two fixingsections 412 of the connecting portion 41 are fixedly connected to thetwo suspension posts 12, respectively. The adjusting portion 42 isdisposed on the connecting section 411 and penetrates the connectingsection 411.

In the above-described clamping device 100, the adjusting member 40applies a force to the clamping plate 20 to flatten the clamping plate20, thereby reducing the deformation of the clamping plate 20 andensuring the flatness of the clamping plate 20, so that the substrate200 can be closely attached to the clamping plate 20, ensuring theuniformity of the vapor deposition of the luminescent material on thesubstrate 200.

The technical features of the embodiments described above can bearbitrarily combined. For the sake of brevity of description, not allpossible combinations of the technical features in the aforementionedembodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradictionbetween the combinations of these technical features, all should beconsidered as the scope of this specification.

The aforementioned embodiments only express several implementations ofthe present disclosure, and the descriptions thereof are more specificand detailed, but they cannot be understood as a limitation on the scopeof the present disclosure. It should be noted that, for those whoskilled in the art, a plurality of modifications and improvements can bemade without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, whichall belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore,the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A clamping device, configured to clamp asubstrate, comprising: a clamping plate; and a flattening mechanismcomprising at least one adjusting member, the at least one adjustingmember being disposed on the clamping plate and being configured toexert a force to the clamping plate to flatten the clamping plate. 2.The clamping device according to claim 1, wherein the flatteningmechanism is disposed on at least one side of the clamping plate in athickness direction of the clamping plate.
 3. The clamping deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the flattening mechanism is disposed on aperipheral position of at least one side of the clamping plate in thethickness direction of the clamping plate.
 4. The clamping deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the flattening mechanism is axiallysymmetric about a central axis of a surface of the clamping plate onwhich the flattening mechanism is disposed.
 5. The clamping deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the flattening mechanism comprises atleast two adjusting members, the at least two adjusting members aredisposed on both sides of the clamping plate in a thickness direction ofthe clamping plate.
 6. The clamping device according to claim 1, whereinthe flattening mechanism comprises at least two adjusting members, theat least two adjusting members are disposed on the same side of theclamping plate, and the at least two adjusting members are axiallysymmetrically arranged about a central axis of a surface of the clampingplate on which the at least two adjusting members are disposed.
 7. Theclamping device according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting membercomprises: a connecting portion connected to the clamping plate; and atleast one adjusting portion connected to the connecting portion, the atleast one adjusting portion passing through the connecting portion andconfigured to exert the force to the clamping plate.
 8. The clampingdevice according to claim 7, wherein the adjusting portion is configuredto abut against one side of the clamping plate in a thickness directionof the clamping plate.
 9. The clamping device according to claim 7,wherein the at least one adjusting portion comprises at least twoadjusting portions, and the at least two adjusting portions are spacedapart from each other and arranged in an extending direction of theconnecting portion.
 10. The clamping device according to claim 7,wherein the adjusting portion is axially symmetric about a central axisof a surface of the clamping plate on which the adjusting portion isdisposed, and the central axis is perpendicular to an extendingdirection of the connecting portion.
 11. The clamping device accordingto claim 7, wherein the adjusting portion is connected to the connectingportion through screw threads, and the adjusting portion is axiallyfixed to the clamping plate and is circumferentially rotatably connectedto the clamping plate or the connecting portion.
 12. The clamping deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein: the connecting portion of the adjustingmember is provided with an mounting hole, an inner wall of the mountinghole is provided with a plurality of grooves spaced apart from eachother and arranged in an extending direction of the mounting hole; theadjusting portion of the adjusting member comprises an adjusting springand an adjusting plate, the adjusting spring abuts between the adjustingplate and the clamping plate.
 13. The clamping device according to claim7, wherein the clamping device further comprises a suspension mechanism,and the connecting portion is partially fixedly connected to thesuspension mechanism.
 14. The clamping device according to claim 13,wherein both ends of the connecting portion are fixedly connected to thesuspension mechanism.
 15. The clamping device according to claim 14,wherein the connecting portion comprises a connecting section and twofixing sections respectively connected to both ends of the connectingsection; wherein the suspension mechanism comprises two suspensionposts, the two fixing sections are fixedly connected to the twosuspension posts, respectively.
 16. The clamping device according toclaim 7, wherein the connecting portion is disposed across entire of theclamping plate in a first direction and/or a second direction.
 17. Theclamping device according to claim 16, wherein the connecting portioncomprises a connecting section and two fixing sections respectivelyconnected to both ends of the connecting section, and the two fixingsections are fixedly connected to the clamping plate, respectively. 18.The clamping device according to claim 17, wherein the two fixingsections extend in a thickness direction of the clamping plate, and arerespectively attached to two opposite side surfaces of the clampingplate.
 19. The clamping device according to claim 18, wherein the twofixing sections are fixedly connected to the clamping plate via aplurality of fixing screws.
 20. The clamping device according to claim1, further comprising a magnetic attraction mechanism; wherein themagnetic attraction mechanism is attached to a surface of the clampingplate facing away from the substrate to further fix the substrate by amagnetic attraction force.